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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23249605">But Right Now This Is Peace</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rooraism/pseuds/Rooraism'>Rooraism</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Downton Abbey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Fluff, this time from Richard's pov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:01:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,811</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23249605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rooraism/pseuds/Rooraism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One evening with Thomas and Richard</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>But Right Now This Is Peace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Decided to write this fluffy piece to give myself, and maybe some others too, some happy thoughts when the real world is being scary. All the mistakes are my own, also all my knowledge of cooking in 1920's UK is from the internet, so not possibly 100% correct.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rain was pouring down hard, and Richard ran as fast as he could through the streets of Dowton towards the warmness of the abbey. When he finally arrived, after what felt like an eternity, he knocked of the door, but nobody answered. </p>
<p>They all must be upstairs then, Richard thought. Not being sure what to do next, Richard suddenly remembered Thomas' line from few days ago.</p>
<p>'If you are ever here, feel welcome to come in even if nobody answers. And if somebody asks, you can tell them I told you to come in.'</p>
<p>Richard pulled the heavy door open, and quickly stepped inside, wanting to feel warm again. It was completely quiet. Moving slowly towards the dining room, Richard took off his wet coat, giving it a quick shake putting it on to the rack. He then continued his way to the dining room, which he thought would be the best place to wait for Thomas, or anyone for that matter. </p>
<p>Not sure what to do while waiting, Richard decided to walk around the table and take a look at the interesting looking tableware that was placed in the shelf behind the table. One might not know, but Richard had a secret interest in different tableware, he loved how many different ones you could find just in this country and how they spoke about the homeowner's personality.</p>
<p>”Oh!” Richard turned around, finding one of the abbey's lady's maids standing at the doorway. If Richard remembered correctly, she was called Anna. In her arms she was holding a small child, who was trying his best to get down from his mother's arm. </p>
<p>”Sorry to interrupt, Thomas – I mean Mr. Barrow told me to just come straight in if I was ever around the area.” Richard tried to explain, without revealing too much. Smile bloomed to the woman's face. </p>
<p>”Oh, you must be Richard then. Mr. Barrow has told us you might come around. My name is Anna Bates” so he was right ”and this little worm here is Johnny.” Before Richard could give any answer, the small boy, whom now had stopped moving, interrupted the conversation with his question.</p>
<p>”Why did you come to see Mr. Barrow?”</p>
<p>The sudden question left both the boy's mother and Richard speechless. Out of two of them,  Mrs. Bates was faster to recover, being somewhat used to sudden deep questions of her son, and saved Richard from having to give the boy some awkward explanation. </p>
<p>”Mr...”<br/>”Ellis” <br/>”Mr. Ellis came to see Mr. Barrow because they are close, and he missed him the same way you do when you don't see Mr. Barrow for one day” Mrs. Bates replied to her son. </p>
<p>After few seconds the boy nodded, accepting the reason. Richard breathed out slowly, nodding to Mrs. Bates, hoping his gratitude was showing on his face. Before Johnny could continue his list of questions, Mr. Barrow appeared behind the boy, giving him a quick tickle, making the boy giggle happily. Noticing Richard standing at the other side of the dining table, Thomas' smile grew.</p>
<p>”What are you doing here?” He asked, moving closer to Richard. </p>
<p>”Well I had some businesses here in Dowton, and decided to surprise you and maybe make you leave with me” Richard laughed, for a minute forgetting that Mrs. Bates was still standing with Johnny at the doorway. He was soon reminded of the two when loud, worried voice filled the dining room.</p>
<p>”You are here to take Mr. Barrow away? You can't, I won't let you” Both Richard and Thomas turned to look at the boy, now tears in his eyes, trying to get out of his mother's arm even harder. </p>
<p>”Stop it Johnny, Mr. Barrow is not going anywhere. Mr. Ellis just meant, he came to pick up Mr. Barrow the same way I picked you, so they can soon go home.” Something about Mrs. Bates words, talking as if she knew they were a couple (maybe she did, Thomas had clearly mentioned him) warmed Richard's insides. </p>
<p>”Oh” the boy said, tears still falling down on his small face. Thomas moved towards the boy, gently wiping the tears away with his thumb.</p>
<p>”Excatly. I'm still going to be here tomorrow, as always. I'm just going home for the night, like you” Thomas ensured the boy. If Mrs. Bates words had made Richard warm inside, Thomas referring Richard's house as his home made the man feel just elated. He had hoped Thomas' might see the place as his home, but he never expected it from him, knowing how long the other man had lived in Downton abbey. </p>
<p>”Speaking of homes, we should leave before your father gets worried were we are” Mrs. Bates said. After telling her son to wave and say goodbyes to Thomas and Richard, the pair left the Downton, leaving downstairs empty and silent. Thomas nodded his head, telling Richard to follow him to butler's room. </p>
<p>The second the door closed, Richard was pushed against the wall, Thomas' lips on his. Oh, how he had missed this. </p>
<p>”I have missed so much” Thomas said, breathless after a good minute of kissing. </p>
<p>”Well it was your idea that you stay the weeks here and only weekends at my place, not mine.” Richard laughed, keeping Thomas close, wanting to feel the warmth of his lover. </p>
<p>”Was it? Well, I have to make bad decisions sometimes, don't I?” Thomas grinned, holding Richard's head in his arm, moving his thumbs slowly against Richard's cheeks and eyebrows, as if trying to make sure he was really there. </p>
<p>”You are free to move in whenever you want” Richard noted, but seeing Thomas' face filling with frowns he added<br/>”I'm not pressuring you into anything. You being happy, just that is my goal”.</p>
<p>Thomas smiled coyly, moving his arms from Richard's face around his neck before pressing a soft kiss against Richard's still slightly wet hair. </p>
<p>”I know. Thank you for that. And I know they don't have anything against me moving with you, even if they knew the real reason, but I still cannot help but feel unsure.” </p>
<p>”Nothing wrong with that. Just take your time, I will wait.” Richard answered, hugging the other man against his chest, before pulling away enough to give Thomas' a quick peck.<br/>”Shall we go then?”<br/>”We shall.”</p>
<p>Due the bus being the last one of the day that left from Dowton, it was bagged, and it had taken the pair nearly an hour to reach their bus stop. Richard thought he had never been happier than he was the moment when he finally was able to close his front door behind him, and get rid of his wet, cold clothes. Before Richard had even chance to comment anything, Thomas had already squatted down and lit up the fireplace. Smiling, Richard put both his and Thomas' wet jackets on the chair near the fireplace. </p>
<p>”You can go change, I will start the dinner” Richard said, while massaging Thomas' shoulders. The other man gave two quick kisses before disappearing to upstairs to change out of his butler's suit. Walking to the small kitchen, Richard turned his gas oven and his gas stove on, took the rest of yesterday's steak and kidney pie from the fridge, popping it in, and put some potatoes to boil. </p>
<p>”What are we having today?” Thomas had returned to downstairs, now in normal, more comfortable  clothing. <br/>”Nothing special, just some leftover pie and potatoes” </p>
<p>”Need any help?” Richard shook his head. Nodding, Thomas, with the book he had taken from upstairs with him, walked back to living room, poking the fire few times before adding a  small log. He then sat on the couch, lifted his feet up from the cold flooring, and started to read. Richard, after checking the pie and the potatoes, followed the other man to the warmer livingroom.</p>
<p>”How was your day?” Richard asked, lifting Thomas' legs, and sat down, before lowering the other man's legs on his lap. <br/>”Fine actually. Not very busy, had some time to spend with children even. How about you?”</p>
<p>”I was busy as a bee today. Everybody wanted to shop their weekend groceries today. Good for the business, and for me, since these busy days allow them to keep me as a worker” Richard responded, giving Thomas' feet slight massage.</p>
<p>”I should be cooking then, you have been on your feet the whole day” Thomas put his book down, looking concerned. Richard shook his head.</p>
<p>”You have been working a lot longer today than I have. I can be the good housewife today.” Richard joked, making Thomas smile. Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas returned to his book, and Richard stood up, returning to kitchen. He turned off the gas from both the oven and the stove, poured the water from the potatoes into the sink, moving them then on to the table (this time remembering to put two trivets down on the table) before picking up the warmed up pie from the oven, putting it next to the potatoes.</p>
<p>”Dinner is served” Richard yelled, while still setting the table. It didn't take Thomas long to show up to the kitchen, ready to eat. <br/>”Smells amazing” He said, sat down, and filled his plate with good portion of the pie and potatoes. <br/>”Taste is just as good as the smell, even if I say it myself” Richard followed the other man, taking the rest of the pie and the potatoes. They spent the whole dinner eating mostly silently, the silence from time to time being interrupted by Thomas' compliments. </p>
<p>Like a routine, after the dinner had been finished, Thomas' picked up the dishes, and started to wash them. Sitting at the table, staring the other man washing dishes, Richard could help but feel little emotional. He would have never guessed, barely even dared to hope, that he would be in this situation one day. That he had someone who wanted to share his life with him, and he didn't have to spend his whole life alone.</p>
<p>Beaming, Richard stood up and walked behind Thomas, putting his arms around the man and pressing his cheek against Thomas' wide back. </p>
<p>”I'm so glad you exist, you know.” <br/>”Me too. Now, you go to the livingroom, put on some music, and I will follow when I'm ready. Then we don't get up from that couch before bedtime.” Thomas commanded Richard, reminding the man of the army officers.</p>
<p>”Sir, Yes Sir” Richard laughed, picking up the paper, and leaving the giggling Thomas behind. Sitting down on the couch, all Richard could think was how he was never going to let this man go. And if the way Thomas looked at Richard when he returned to living room and saw the other man waiting for him on the couch with arms open, ready to cuddle, Thomas felt the same way.</p>
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